I forgot to mention that due to cash shortages Tales #14 will be going back to a two colour cover instead of full colour. However, I''ve now decided to try a more exciting yellow card cover stock instead of the previous white card. The illustration on #14's cover will be a particularly fine picture by Dan Barker of Dragonewts.
Moirades and FHQ's:
Far be for me to inpugn the scholarly skills of Messrs Brooke, Baumgartner and Metcalfe, but they should try reading the sources once in a while.
Firstly, Pharandros was not the son of any FHQ. He was born in 1582 before Moirades ever courted any queens with feathers (or had any success). I'd look for a mother who was the subject of a political marriage to Moirades. Perhaps a royal daughter of Aggar or of one of the important clans in Tarsh?
Which FHQ did Moirades marry? Well, why not check out what KoS says about the FHQ's and who *they* married. The first eligible FHQ at the time of Moirades was "Splendid Among the Proud" and Jalks Book says "She had no husband, but had three daughters who each married a king." So perhaps the Feathered Queen of the Kerofini was a daughter of the FHQ?
However, the next FHQ was "Riches without Tears" who became queen sometime after 1602 but before c.1606. She set her bride price ludicrously high, though the suitor paid it. She had two children. BUT only one these *might* be Estal Donge because of the timings involved. If one of them was Estal then she was only about twelve or thirteen years old when she met Temertain in c.1615 - by which time she was supposed to be a scholar of art.
I therefore contend that Moirades attempted to become King of Dragon Pass by
first trying to marry "Mother of Lands" and then "Spendid Among the Proud". When
he failed with both of these FHQ's he married a daughter of "Spendid Among the
Proud", or the FQ of the Kerofini as she was styled after her marriage to him.
>From her he fathered Estal Donge.
However, his claims to be King of DP were rightly scorned as he had not married the real FHQ. Therefore when "Riches without Tears" became FHQ he payed a ludicrous amount to marry her and become the legitimate king. He probably beggered the kingdom in doing so and left a nasty legacy for Pharandros to deal with.
Perhaps this beggering of the kingdom is behind much of the Tarsh-inspired Lunar expansionism during the period?
Of course I can prove all of this in July when I meet Estal again. I'll ask her...
All Hail the Reaching Megagorp!
David Hall
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